Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3's

[steve911]

Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

I took off the right side sill off today to adjust the tail pipe so it was more centered in the opening.

When I went to put the side sill back on, the bonded on insulation inside the side sill fell off. I looked closely at why the glue joints failed and it was quite obvious that the sill insulation was not not cleaned properly as none of the adhesive stuck to the insulation.

Upon further examination, I noticed that the black primer on the inside of the sill was bubbling up in spots. I scraped off the bubble and sure enough, the infamous white powder (corroded aluminum) was present.

My viper is an '04 with only 4000 miles on the clock and has never seen temps below 50 degrees even though I live in Wisconsin. I reattached the insulation with some high temp 2 part adhesive so I can continue to drive the car.

The big question is what should I do at this point? Let the sill continue to rot until it pops through then make Dodge buy me a new one under warranty?

Take the car in to the dealer and hope they deal with the corrosion properly?

Part of my job in the Air Force is to deal with corrosion on aircraft. It is nasty stuff to permanently get rid of, more so than just grinding on it, priming it and sending it out the door.

Can some of my enlightened bretheren give me some guidance please? Anyone with dealer connections like Chuck?

I have posted some pictures in my gallery to illustrate the problem. One of the pics shows the debonded adhesive. The rest are various spots of corrosion on the sill.

Thanks in advance.

 

[NHL2133]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

 

[Viper Wizard]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

Hey Steve,
I wouldn't have a problem replacing that sill under warranty but it would depend on your local dealer and its DM. They may try to get out of the warranty and say it is from the exhaust you installed! [ !] If you are friendly with your local dealer talk to the service manager and get his take on the corrosion. As you know it is not going to stop, so start working on your dealer!
Good luck!

 

[steve911]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

Chuck.

Does the potential for problems lessen becasue the exhaust I put on is the MOPAR Performance Exhaust? It is NOT the race exhaust.

thanks

 

[Viper Wizard]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

The exhaust has NOTHING to do with the corrosion on your sill! To answer, yes, but some smart A$$ at DC will try to tell you otherwise! Don't back down!!

 

[steve911]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

thanks, I will keep you posted.

 

[steve911]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

If I am successful in getting DC to warranty the side sill, do the new ones come prepainted or is the dealer body shop responsible for painting the sill?

Also, do I make them pull the left side to determine whether or not the left side is corroded also?

 

[DodgeViper01]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

Once and item is covered under warranty, it has to be replaced to exactly what it was, so in the case of your side sill, once covered, it has to be painted under warranty as well so nothing out of your pocket. Gotta love the bumper to bumper warranty.

 

[steve911]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

I have an update on my situation. DC has agreed to REPLACE the corroded side sills. Parts were ordered and in and the body shop is painting the sills. I have an appointment on Aug 1 to get the car in.

The dealer that will be doing the work is DODGE CITY in Wauwatosa Wi (just north of Milwaukee).

More details as they happen.

 

[Viper Fever]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

I have some corrosion on my 95 side sills
how and what is the proper way to fix the problem
areas since its not under warranty.Anyone have experience
in this area thanks

 

[Racer Robbie]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s

If you want to get the real deal here you need to call my friend Randy at ZERO-ALTITUDE-FLIGHT. His phone number is
203-469-4202. He went thru the same issue and got Dc to sell him a set at cost. He also knows what process you need to go thru to prepare them before painting them. He may be willing to do this for you so be sure to ask Randy.
Just tell him Robbie form AtRo Racing Products told you to call him.

Robbie

 

[steve911]

Re: Side Sill Corrosion on Gen 3\'s (UPDATE)

I'm going to play Paul Harvey and give everyone "The Rest Of The Story".

As I related my story a month ago about finding substantial corrosion under the side sill of my '04, I have great news to report.

My local Selling Dealer contacted the zone rep for my part of Wisconsin. He looked at the photos I had taken of the car, set up the parts aquisition and picked a dealer with a great body shop, Dodge City in Wauwatosa (just outside Milwaukee). I dropped the car off on tuesday and picked it up today. The dealer staff was great. Absolutley no headaches what so ever.

The paint matches perfectly and has zero orange peel and no colateral damage to the vehicle anywhere.

A great experience!

THANKS DODGE CITY and DAIMLER CHRYSLER!!!!!